Tagged: Canvas Bags
Vintage Filson 239 Part III
In the final part of this series, we will be enjoying pictures of Mark’s beautiful waxed Filson 239 XL Outfitter Bag. I personally own the Large Outfitter and it is one of my favorite bags. I was so surprised to see that it was discontinued in late-2012. It is truly the perfect bag for hunters, fisherman, skiers, snowboarders, etc., basically anyone that needs to be able to separate wet clothing from dry.
The bag feels more substantial than most of the other Filson pieces in my collection and with the interior and exterior pockets is a true display of classic craftsmanship. At the end of the day, I think the bag was discontinued because it became too expensive and labor-intensive to build without raising the retail price to a level that the market would not support. It will certainly be missed…
As always, I will let Mark’s words tell the story of this great looking Filson 239 Outfitter…
“This bag was a labor of love or a lot of labor anyway. I bought it 4 or 5 years ago from a guy in Ohio for a very good price. It had a terrible musty smell upon arrival-like it had been stored for years. But it has wonderful character that looks better in person. I aired it out and filled it with cedar for weeks, sprayed it with Frebreeze all to no avail.
Then I soaked it in a bucket four or five times for an hour or so, scrubbed it, dried it in the sun, aired it out more–and all that helped a lot. Let me tell you, it is hard to soak that canvas! Unfortunately the leather took a beating, which my concern from the start, but I knew I wouldn’t use the bag unless I got it clean. The leather became very stiff so I slathered it in Obenauf’s Leather Oil and LP for days resting it in the sun to help it soak in. The leather looks new but is very stiff and cracks in places. It will take a long time to soften, but I think it will.”
“This bag is HUGE and HEAVY and I really love it. I only use it for car trips. I can’t imagine lugging it through an airport. I’m not that tough.
I think its fairly old, as it has no inside pockets like you mentioned in your review and like my 2005 catalog states. I spent hours waxing it, but it’s a little harder to tell than on my rucksack, which gets more use and is thrown around more. You can see how the wax flattens out the canvas nap or grain and it has a low luster.“
Vintage Filson 262 Part II
This week, I am featuring images of Mark’s beautiful Filson 262 Rucksack, which has been waxed and aged to perfection. Notice that the back of the bag has not been treated to prevent the wax from rubbing off on the wearer’s clothing, which is a great tip. The leather on this bag looks fantastic and has aged naturally over time. As usual, I will let the owner’s comments tell the story…enjoy and thanks again, Mark!
“The 262 Rucksack was my second Filson purchase and I have used this bag quite a bit. I purchased the older version, which has the strap buckle sewn to the side seam. In the newer version, a triangular canvas piece has been added to attach the strap buckle, which makes it fit a little better.
I waxed mine and it darkens the canvas and kind of mats it. I really like the unevenness it gives the bag. I need to wax it again soon; I’m sure it’ll add more character. I did not wax the back since it sits against my clothing. The wax does tend to rub off on stuff. Also note, I haven’t treated the leather…it has lightened on its own.”
Vintage Filson 257 Part I
I get a lot of questions from readers about waxing Filson bags to protect them or to hasten the process of developing a patina. I have never personally waxed any of the bags in my collection (because I work in an urban environment); however, for those who use their bags in the field or want to give their bags a vintage look, waxing may be a good idea.
A friend of the blog recently sent me some great pictures of his bags that he has applied this process to and they look absolutely amazing. I will be featuring one of his bags per week on the site. First up, is his incredible looking Filson 257 Computer Briefcase. I will allow the pictures and his comments to tell the story. Enjoy and thanks Mark!
“This is my pride and joy. I hate to admit it, but I can just sit and stare at this bag. I looked for about 5 years for a bag in this condition and had all but given up hope. It’s been waxed several times and has a perfect patina.
I work in San Francisco and used to get a lot of odd looks with this armored bag, but now that all the high tech hipsters have latched on to the brand, I get jaw dropping stares of envy. I’m so cool. But not their kind of cool, Filson cool.”
New Designs: Filson Original Sportsman Bag
In the last few months, Filson has been quite busy releasing a bunch of great new luggage pieces. There are three trends that I have noticed:
1. Use of Tin Cloth
The company is starting to incorporate their iconic Tin Cloth into many of their classic designs (like the Tin Cloth Original Briefcase #70016 for example).
2. Two-Tone Variations and Accents
They are also adding a lot of bold new two-tone color variations (and accent colors/patterns) to existing designs. This is apparent in the addition of Navy as a new base color (Spring 2013), as well as in the use of plaid, wool and orange accent pieces.
3. Retro Minimalist Designs
Filson is bringing back some classic/minimalist designs (the Game Bag Messenger #70077 for example) to fill gaps in their existing product line to accommodate many different types of end user.
One new bag that has really caught my eye is the Filson Original Sportsman Bag (#70073). Interestingly enough, it reflects all three of the trends that I have just discussed.
This bag is a streamlined, minimalist version of the iconic Filson Sportsman Bag #266. It utilizes the same basic structure as the full-zipper Sportsman, but it replaces the large, more bulbous exterior side pockets with trimmer (flap-style) pockets. This entire outer layer of pockets is constructed from a contrasting color Tin-Cloth to give the bag additional weather resistance and, in my opinion, provides a fantastic two-tone look. Finally, the main compartment flap is trimmed in bright orange for a pop of color.
Another important change is that the bridle leather strap has been replaced by a great looking nylon webbing, which I am a huge fan of for a couple reasons. First, the strap is lighter than the traditional bridle leather. Second, it is wider so it distributes weight more evenly across the shoulder (and there is no need to break in those finicky stiff leather shoulder pads). Finally, the strap is impervious to the elements and really matches the character of the weather-resistant tin cloth.
My one complaint about the other Sportsman (Filson 266) was that when fully loaded, the exterior pocket worn closest to the body caused the bag’s center of gravity to sit far away from you and made it a bit more awkward to carry. This new “Original” Sportsman appears to have remedied this problem.
Filson Image of the Week
A friend of the blog (from Vancouver, BC) recently emailed me some pictures of his beautiful Filson 232 Field Bag with a perfect patina. I wanted to feature his bag on the site because it is a great example of how these bags age over time. The leather has a great vintage character to it and the rugged twill is just getting broken in. Classic tan truly does get better and better with age!
Thanks, Adrian!
The Filson Report 